Such a device is known, for example, from the European publication EP-PS 0 243 748 wherein a winding apparatus is disclosed in which a web of fabric, slit first by means of a longitudinal cutting device into several smaller parallel lengths, travels over a guide roller. The guide roller guides the individual webs alternatingly on an axis of rotation. The axis on which the webs are guided is on opposite sides of the winding device adjacent to the guide roller and oriented parallel to the axis of rotation of the guide roller. Each winding device comprises a winding shaft, which can be moved between two turning disks by means of linear guides and drives., disposed there, for their bearing arrangements--which also include the rotary drive of the winding shaft--on the horizontal diameter of these turning disks during continuous parallel positioning of their axis of rotation to the axis of the turning disks. At the same time, each pair of turning disks exhibits two such winding shafts, of which the one is moved, upon completion of the winding operation, with its axis of rotation into the axis of rotation of the turning disks. Then the other winding shaft, which is empty, is moved out of its furthest possible distance from the guide roller so as to rest against the latter by rotating the turning disks by 180.degree.. Then a severing knife, which can be pivoted into the suitable web of fabric, for slitting the web is operated between both winding shafts, preferably in the immediate vicinity of the still empty winding shaft. The resulting end of the web is pulled on the spool. The resulting beginning of the web is pushed by means of a pressure roller coupled to the severing knife on the still empty winding shaft or a winding sleeve slid over the shaft in order to start a new roll. The winding shaft with the finished roll is moved to the maximum possible distance from the guide roller in order to remove the roll.
During the last phase of completing a roll and during its travel into the removal position, a swivellable feed roller rests against the roll and maintains a uniform winding density of the roll, even during the finishing segment.
The aforementioned device has a significant advantage over the prior art devices of this class, for example, the devices described in Great Britain Patent No. 932,151, U.S. Pat. No. 3,433,429 and Great Britain Patent No. 1,177,431. In the devices of these publications a rocker-like arrangement is used having a common axis of rotation arranged half-way between, and parallel to, the winding shafts. The rocker-like arrangement comprises two winding shafts arranged parallel and at a constant interval.
The drawback with this device is that it requires, first of all, a large number of mechanical mechanisms and individual parts for the parallel movement of the winding shafts. These parts are especially required to maintain the synchronism of both winding shaft drives. The parts requirement has an effect both on the amount of the production costs and that of the maintenance needs and costs for the device. In addition, to remove a completed roll from the device, the corresponding winding shaft must always be removed from the region of the winding disks, after both of the shaft's arrestable mountings have been detached and then removed from the roll. Removal requires a special, and expensive, winding shaft extraction machine. The machine has a weight of usually more than 100 Kg and a considerable length of usually at least 2.5 m. The extraction machine must be able to immediately, or at a later winding cycle, be inserted with the system running. The machine is needed for a freshly slid-on winding sleeve, or, without such a winding sleeve in arrestable mountings between the turning disks. Great care must be taken in the process or otherwise the risk of an accident to the operating personnel and apparatus rises significantly due to the bulky and heavy nature of the winding shaft and running system.
Therefore, the present invention is based on the problem of providing a device for continuously winding webs of fabric where the removal and insertion of the winding shafts is neither labor intensive nor expensive and there is a low risk of any damage and injury. Simultaneously, the number of mechanical mechanisms and individual parts is drastically reduced.